Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive Complexity is a measure of how difficult a unit of code is to intuitively understand. Unlike Cyclomatic Complexity, which determines how difficult your code will be to test, Cognitive Complexity tells you how difficult your code will be to read and comprehend.

A method's cognitive complexity is based on a few simple rules:

• Code is not considered more complex when it uses shorthand that the language provides for collapsing multiple statements into one
• Code is considered more complex for each "break in the linear flow of the code"
• Code is considered more complex when "flow breaking structures are nested"

Further reading

• Cognitive Complexity docs
• Cognitive Complexity: A new way of measuring understandability

enforce a maximum line length (max-len)

Very long lines of code in any language can be difficult to read. In order to aid in readability and maintainability many coders have developed a convention to limit lines of code to X number of characters (traditionally 80 characters).

var foo = { "bar": "This is a bar.", "baz": { "qux": "This is a qux" }, "difficult": "to read" }; // very long

Rule Details

This rule enforces a maximum line length to increase code readability and maintainability. The length of a line is defined as the number of Unicode characters in the line.

Options

This rule has a number or object option:

• "code" (default 80) enforces a maximum line length
• "tabWidth" (default 4) specifies the character width for tab characters
• "comments" enforces a maximum line length for comments; defaults to value of code
• "ignorePattern" ignores lines matching a regular expression; can only match a single line and need to be double escaped when written in YAML or JSON
• "ignoreComments": true ignores all trailing comments and comments on their own line
• "ignoreTrailingComments": true ignores only trailing comments
• "ignoreUrls": true ignores lines that contain a URL
• "ignoreStrings": true ignores lines that contain a double-quoted or single-quoted string
• "ignoreTemplateLiterals": true ignores lines that contain a template literal
• "ignoreRegExpLiterals": true ignores lines that contain a RegExp literal

code

Examples of incorrect code for this rule with the default { "code": 80 } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", 80]*/

var foo = { "bar": "This is a bar.", "baz": { "qux": "This is a qux" }, "difficult": "to read" };

Examples of correct code for this rule with the default { "code": 80 } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", 80]*/

var foo = {
  "bar": "This is a bar.",
  "baz": { "qux": "This is a qux" },
  "easier": "to read"
};

tabWidth

Examples of incorrect code for this rule with the default { "tabWidth": 4 } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", 80, 4]*/

\t  \t  var foo = { "bar": "This is a bar.", "baz": { "qux": "This is a qux" } };

Examples of correct code for this rule with the default { "tabWidth": 4 } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", 80, 4]*/

\t  \t  var foo = {
\t  \t  \t  \t  "bar": "This is a bar.",
\t  \t  \t  \t  "baz": { "qux": "This is a qux" }
\t  \t  };

comments

Examples of incorrect code for this rule with the { "comments": 65 } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "comments": 65 }]*/

/**
 * This is a comment that violates the maximum line length we have specified
**/

ignoreComments

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreComments": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreComments": true }]*/

/**
 * This is a really really really really really really really really really long comment
**/

ignoreTrailingComments

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreTrailingComments": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreTrailingComments": true }]*/

var foo = 'bar'; // This is a really really really really really really really long comment

ignoreUrls

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreUrls": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreUrls": true }]*/

var url = 'https://www.example.com/really/really/really/really/really/really/really/long';

ignoreStrings

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreStrings": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreStrings": true }]*/

var longString = 'this is a really really really really really long string!';

ignoreTemplateLiterals

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreTemplateLiterals": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreTemplateLiterals": true }]*/

var longTemplateLiteral = `this is a really really really really really long template literal!`;

ignoreRegExpLiterals

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignoreRegExpLiterals": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignoreRegExpLiterals": true }]*/

var longRegExpLiteral = /this is a really really really really really long regular expression!/;

ignorePattern

Examples of correct code for this rule with the { "ignorePattern": true } option:

/*eslint max-len: ["error", { "ignorePattern": "^\\s*var\\s.+=\\s*require\\s*\\(/" }]*/

var dep = require('really/really/really/really/really/really/really/really/long/module');

Related Rules

• [complexity](complexity.md)
• [max-depth](max-depth.md)
• [max-nested-callbacks](max-nested-callbacks.md)
• [max-params](max-params.md)
• [max-statements](max-statements.md) Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive Complexity is a measure of how difficult a unit of code is to intuitively understand. Unlike Cyclomatic Complexity, which determines how difficult your code will be to test, Cognitive Complexity tells you how difficult your code will be to read and comprehend.

A method's cognitive complexity is based on a few simple rules:

• Code is not considered more complex when it uses shorthand that the language provides for collapsing multiple statements into one
• Code is considered more complex for each "break in the linear flow of the code"
• Code is considered more complex when "flow breaking structures are nested"

Further reading

• Cognitive Complexity docs
• Cognitive Complexity: A new way of measuring understandability

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

For more information visit Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/

disallow all tabs (no-tabs)

Some style guides don't allow the use of tab characters at all, including within comments.

Rule Details

This rule looks for tabs anywhere inside a file: code, comments or anything else.

Examples of incorrect code for this rule:

var a /t= 2;

/**
* /t/t it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // /t test

Examples of correct code for this rule:

var a = 2;

/**
* it's a test function
*/
function test(){}

var x = 1; // test

When Not To Use It

If you have established a standard where having tabs is fine.

Compatibility

• JSCS: disallowTabs Source: http://eslint.org/docs/rules/